MOSCOW, June 24 (RIA Novosti) - The head of a Moscow factory caused alarm among local residents when he switched on an air raid alert in order to force a motorist to remove her improperly parked car, Russian media said on Wednesday.

Although the air raid alarm sounded in south Moscow at about 10:00 a.m. [6:00 a.m. GMT] on Tuesday, authorities and locals were baffled until a police probe was concluded on Wednesday afternoon.

According to witnesses, there was a continuous signal and an "Attention, everyone" message. The sirens caused panic among local residents, who began to turn on the TV and call police in an attempt to find out what was happening amid rumors of emergency drills.

Police discovered that the siren had been activated by the head of a local factory which produces mannequins. The man turned the air raid signal on in an attempt to attract the attention of a female driver, who had parked just in front of the factory gates, blocking the entrance for other vehicles.